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This interview helps you look at food in a new way. I recommend it for boomer consumers. You can listen to the podcast by going to the KUOW link above.

Standage said food is the ultimate weapon and a key factor shaping history.

He said permanent settlements made possible by agriculture led to the creation of civilizations marked by social inequality, nobility and power, organized religion, and war.

Food also linked civilizations and created intercontinental rivalries, he said. Exchanges of foods and new trading patterns changed cultures and rulers around the world.

Food also has played a key role in military campaigns and politics, he said. It was important to feeding armies, and the siege, a powerful weapon, was challenging for both sides.

Standage said food played a role in the Industrial Revolution; increased agricultural output and food imports changed the way people lived.

Although the Green Revolution of the 1960s initially had benefits, Standage said problems are now being seen due to the increasing amounts of water, fertilizer, and pesticides that are needed to grow these crops.

Standage thinks world population growth is going to slow down because China and India are making a transition from agricultural to industrialization societies. This is usually accompanied by large decreases in family size.

Another book by Standage was mentioned: “A History of the World in Six Glasses.”

Standage said coffee was the drink of the 17th Century. For the 20th Century, it’s soda and for the 21st Century it’s possibly bottled water.

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate..